STONE'S THROW
ARCHAEOLOGISTS think they have discovered the 3,200 year old city that many believe was a refuge for the biblical King David.
The site is located in central Israel and is thought to be the remains of the Philistine city of Ziklag.
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Philistines were ancient people who lived in the Middle East between the 12th century BC and 604 BC, after which they were exiled.
They don't have the best reputation and are known for their conflicts with the Biblical Israelites.
The most famous Philistine is Goliath, who was slain by King David according to the Bible.
However, recent analysis of Philistine DNA and more excavations have suggested that the Philistines may not deserve their bad reputation as all texts written about them were written by the "enemy" and there is evidence to show they were cultured and skilled.
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Lots of archaeologists have claimed to have found Ziklag before but this current excavation at a site called Khirbet Al-Rai, which began in 2015, contains the most evidence.
The research is being led by the Israeli Antiquities Authority and they have found buildings and Philistine-era artefacts from when King David supposedly lived underneath a burnt rural settlement.
Ziklag is believed to have been burnt down when David was away fighting so the burnt artefacts at this site fit with this story.
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Archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University told : "It is not 100% sure, but I think it's 90% that this was biblical Ziklag."
The artefacts found so far include statues and vessels.
The Israeli Antiquities Authority reported: "The great range of complete vessels is testimony to the interesting everyday life during the reign of King David.
"Large quantities of storage jars were found during the excavation — medium and large — which were used for storing oil and wine."
More excavation and research will need to be done before this area is officially confirmed as Ziklag.
What was Ziklag?
Here's what you need to know about the ancient biblical city...
- Ziklag was an ancient city supposedly given to the biblical King David by the Philistine king, Achish
- David is said to have taken refuge there from the rage of King Saul
- Saul asked David to work for him after he killed the giant Goliath with a single stone to the head
- Saul then got very jealous of David and his skills
- David and Goliath is known as the ultimate underdog story because the tale states that David killed the giant when he was a small boy
- Ziklag was supposedly raided and burnt by a group of desert nomads called the Amalekites when David was away fighting
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Do you think this is the real city of Ziklag? Let us know in the comments...
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